Free · Finance Tools

Investment Return Calculator

Calculate CAGR, total return, and investment growth with year-by-year projection

Initial investment

Monthly contribution

Annual return rate (%)

Investment period

Which return number are you actually quoting?

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CAGR as a single comparable number

The compound annual growth rate condenses the whole projection into one percentage that would produce the same end result, letting you compare different scenarios on equal footing.

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Gains separated from contributions

Total gains sit next to the final balance, and the total return percentage is measured against the full amount you contributed — so the return rate reflects your own money, not just the balance.

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Yearly projection chart

A bar chart plots the balance at the end of each year across the full term, so a 10-year or 40-year scenario shows its shape at a glance, not just its final number.

What Is an Investment Return Calculator?

An investment return calculator projects how a sum of money could grow by applying an expected annual return month by month to both the starting amount and any regular contributions. Beyond the final balance, it reports the total gains, the compound annual growth rate — the single constant annual rate that would reproduce the same end result — and the total return as a percentage of everything contributed, all accompanied by a year-by-year projection. Investors estimating a portfolio’s future value, retirement savers testing assumptions, and finance students translating an annual return figure into concrete numbers are the people it serves.

What this tool can do

📈 Monthly compounding applied to the initial amount and to every monthly contribution.
💼 An optional monthly contribution, to model investing as a regular habit.
📊 A year-by-year table of the balance, the money added, and the gains in each year.
📐 CAGR — the compound annual growth rate of the starting capital.
🏷️ Total return expressed as a percentage of all contributions.
🧾 Yearly growth chart for a visual sense of the trajectory.

When would you use it

💼 Estimating what a lump-sum investment might be worth in ten years at a given return.
🧮 Comparing a single one-time investment with a monthly contribution plan.
🎯 Stress-testing retirement projections with both conservative and optimistic assumptions.
📚 Seeing how a compound annual rate differs from a simple percentage gain.

The projection runs entirely in the browser, so your figures are never uploaded or stored. The essential caveat: past performance never guarantees future results. The calculator assumes a constant annual return and ignores taxes and fees, which makes it an educational projection, not investment advice — and no tool in this category can promise what a market will actually do.

CAGR versus simple total return

Total return divides profit by initial cost — it hides how long the money actually worked.
CAGR = (end ÷ start)^(1/years) − 1 annualises honestly: +60% over five years is under ten percent a year.
Money-weighted return also respects when deposits landed — right for judging your own account, wrong for comparing funds.

Frequently asked questions

What is CAGR?⌄

CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) is the average annual rate your investment would need to grow at, compounded yearly, to go from the initial amount to the final balance. It smooths out the ups and downs and gives a single number you can compare across investments.

Is this a guarantee of future returns?⌄

No — this is a mathematical projection based on the rate you enter. Real markets fluctuate and past performance does not guarantee future results. Use this as a planning tool, not a prediction.

Does it include fees and taxes?⌄

No — management fees, transaction costs, and capital gains taxes are not included. Your actual net return will be lower than what this calculator shows.